On the bright morning of Saturday March 26, a small group of 12 intrepid birders set out on the Red Alder Trail. The group, led by local birders Chris Ensing and COle Reintsma, consisted of new and experienced birders, both young and perfectly aged. The walked started with a quick lesson on using binoculars, with multiple extra binoculars available to borrow.
A wonderful diversity of birds was heard and seen along the trails. These trails have
been stewarded by Free the Fern to increase native plants which provide food and
shelter to both resident and migrating birds. Grace Nombrado, director of Free the Fern,
also talked to the group about many of the plants along the trail.
In addition to the fun of finding many different species, the group was treated to some
entertaining and delightful bird behavior. A pair of Northern Flickers put on a show, displaying their lovely rusty red wings while noisily calling and flying around each other in the near-by trees. A male Anna’s hummingbird fed from the flowers of a red flowering currant, and then perched in the shrub next to the group. It was a treat to see his bright green and vibrant pink feathers just a few feet away. Other highlights included hearing a Merlin (an uncommon raptor in the area) calling from the treetops, seeing a Pileated woodpecker (the largest woodpecker in North America) search for insects beneath the bark of old trees, and watching a flock of tiny adorable golden-crowned kinglets caching
even tinier insects whilst fluttering among, and even hanging upside-down under, the branches. The program wrapped up with a game demonstrating the special senses of owls (several species of which have been seen in the area).
Below is a list of the birds seen and heard on this walk:
American Crow American Robin Anna’s Hummingbird Black Capped Chickadee Bushtit Chestnut-backed Chickadee Dark-eyed Junco Eagle Golden-Crowned Kinglet Merlin Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Pine Siskin
Red Breasted Nuthatch Ruby-crowned kinglet
Song Sparrow Spotted Towhee
We hope to see you on the next one!
We hope to see you on the next one!